Sweet Dreams
by Dom rocks my world
Summary: A Kel/Dom fic. Set after Lady Knight. possibly PG13 or R for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1  
  
Dom awoke in the middle of the night and lay staring at the ceiling of his tent for a few minutes before he remembered where he was.  
  
His squad, his cousin Sir Nealan of Queenscove and Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan and her servant were encamped for the night in a small clearing off to the side of the Great Road North. They had left New Hope in Merric's capable hands and were travelling to the palace for crown prince and princess Roald and Shinkokami's royal wedding. Lord Raoul and the rest of third company had left Fort Steadfast several days ago, no doubt due in no small part to his eagerness to see Buri, his betrothed, again. Dom chuckled at the thought of the short, stocky K'mir who had once been Queen Thayet's self-appointed bodyguard. Raoul was at least twice her size!  
  
Still chuckling and now wide awake, Dom gave up on sleep and crawled for his tent, to find the campfire still crackling merrily in the middle of the clearing. A familiar figure sat hunched near the fire, but from her trembling form came wracking sobs.  
  
"Kel," he called softly. She turned towards him, hastily wiping away tears, and gave him a weak smile, but turned towards the fire again. He sat down beside her and they stared at the flames in silence for a few minutes.  
  
"I killed them, you know," she said abruptly. "Zamiel, Snalren the carpenter, Einur. If I hadn't left Haven they'd all still be alive."  
  
Knowing that she wouldn't believe him if he tried to convince her otherwise, Dom sat silently with her while she poured out all the pain and guilt she had kept bottled inside for the past two months. Finally she stopped, and he pulled her into a hug.the lady knight leaned into his warm, comforting shoulder, and more tears began coursing down her cheeks, but this time the were tears of relief, as if all of the poison had been washed away.  
  
**Mithros, she's beautiful** the thoughts sprang, unbidden, to his mind, and his hand rose of its own accord and brushed the eyelash from her cheek.  
  
"Make a wish," he said softly, showing her the eyelash. She giggled and looked up at him. Suddenly, he became very conscious of everywhere they touched, form his arm around her shoulders to her hand still on his chest. His eyes lit up, the heat and excitement reflecting in hers for a moment before she stood up, confused.  
  
"Would you like a drink? I'm getting one anyway. It's warm tonight, don't you think?" she chattered, retrieving a flask.  
  
Not looking where she was going, Kel tripped and fell forward. Out of reflex, Dom tried to catch her but he wasn't quick enough and they both tumbled to the ground. Dom yelped as his hand fell onto the hot coals and he quickly withdrew it to inspect the damage.  
  
"Are you Okay?" Kel asked anxiously.  
  
"I'm fine. No harm done." He announced stoically.  
  
"Oh, stop playing the brave soldier. Let me look." She examined the burns in the firelight, trying to gauge the extent of the damage.  
  
Dom savoured the feel of her light touch and her hand on his wrist. Closing his eyes, he relaxed and let the warmth from her hand flow through him, arousing him. Realizing this, he felt his face flush. He didn't react this way when a court lady or any other female touched him, so why was Kel any different? He shook his head, confused, and returned his attention to Kel. She didn't seem to have noticed anything, and was still bent over his hand.  
  
"These look pretty bad," she murmured. "You'll probably have some nice scars to impress the ladies with." She looked up and grinned.  
  
His heart skipped a beat. Suddenly he knew with all certainty that there was only one lady he wanted to impress and she had had seen enough scars to last her a lifetime.  
  
Startled out of his thoughts, he realized Kel had been talking to him. "I'm sorry, what was that?"  
  
She looked at him strangely for a moment. Ahe could have sworn he saw something very like longing or hope in her eyes, but then the look was gone.  
  
"I have a healing balm for burns," she repeated. "It's in my tent."  
  
He followed her to a small, one-man tent on the edge of the clearing closest to where the horses were picketed. Shivering, he stood waiting in the cool night air while she crawled in. After a moment she poked her head out of the tent flap.  
  
"Are you crazy? You'll catch you death out there!" she exclaimed. "Are you coming in?"  
  
"Yes mother." He replied with a dry chuckle, but he hurried to comply. Seated in a corner of the tent, he immediately noticed that it was much bigger than it looked for the outside. It was also several degrees warmer than outside, for which he was grateful. Her sleeping bag was neatly laid out on a ground sheet, as though it hadn't been used.  
  
"Haven't you slept at all tonight?" he asked rebukingly.  
  
"I couldn't." she paused in her search to answer. Rummaging through her travel pack, she exclaimed and turned triumphantly, holding a small container. "Here it is! I knew I'd packed it somewhere." Kel showed him the clear balm. "Here, give me your hand." She began, gently but firmly, to rub the balm into the burns on the back of his hand and fingers.  
  
"Where did you get this stuff from?" he asked her curiously. It was already starting to relieve the burning pain.  
  
"It was a present from. a friend." He noticed that she carefully avoided mentioning a name. "It's also great for cuts and bruises, so I use it a lot- "  
  
"Shh!" he interrupted her. A moment later, a pair of footsteps and quiet voices passed the tent.  
  
"I forgot about sentry change," he whispered. "I'd better not let them see me coming out of your tent."  
  
"Why? It's not as if we're doing anything." Kel said.  
  
"Yeah, but they wouldn't know that," he explained.  
  
"Oh." She blushed, realizing the implication of his words. "But it won't take long, will it? For the sentry to change, I mean?"  
  
"Probably about fifteen minutes. It'll take a while for the last group to settle down again. Some of them will probably want to sit by the fire."  
  
"Well stay in here with me then." Kel told him. "I don't bite."  
  
The burning excitement in Dom's eyes made her blush and avert her eyes from his gaze. Realizing that she hadn't yet finished with the balm, she applied herself to her task.  
  
Dom, looking down at Kel as her cool touch soothed his pain, became increasingly aroused. He could feel the heat rushing through his veins.  
  
**Whoah, Dom, calm down,** he thought, struggling for control. **You don't want to scare her again. Just stick with what you have. Think about something else. Something cold!** He closed his eyes, and gradually began to settle. But his efforts to calm down, and the warmth in the tent, combined with the soothing feel of the balm were starting to make him very sleepy.  
  
"There, good as new," Kel said, turning back to her travel pack. "I'll just find something to bandage it with." But when she turned around, he was already sound asleep, stretched out on the ground sheet beside her sleeping bag. He looked so peaceful. She didn't have the heart to wake him, so she readied herself for bed, then crawled beneath the covers of her sleeping bag, thinking to catch a few hours sleep. But sleep evaded her again. And she was fairly sure it had less to do with guilt and more to do with the close proximity of a certain handsome, blue-eyed sergeant.  
  
She turned over to face him, and propped herself on her elbow. She studied his sleeping features. He certainly was nice to look at. But then, Dom was just nice full stop. He was the kind of person who would always lend a shoulder to cry on, like he had tonight, and in the last few months, they had fast become very good friends. She would have like to have been more but since Dom hadn't given any sign that the feeling was mutual.**And why would he?** she thought, **He could have any court lady he wanted, so why would he settle for me? I'll just stick with what we have. Why ruin a great friendship?**  
  
But still. there had been the way he had looked at her. For a moment she was sure.  
  
Sighing, Kel blew out the candle that lit the tent. "Sweet dreams Dom," she whispered.  
  
Authors Note: ok, ppl that was my first ever attempt at a kel/dom fic, so please r/r and tell me what you think of it. Tell me if they were too OOC or if it was too fluffy. Should I write more? 


	2. chapter 2 part1

"What about a perfume?" Dom suggested.  
  
"No!" Kel giggled. "Can you imagine Neal every appreciating perfume?"  
  
"Maybe not, but I'd appreciate him wearing some!" he retorted.  
  
"What he really needs," she said with a gleam in her eye, "is a book on how to write love poems."  
  
"Why?!" Dom asked curiously.  
  
"Maybe I'll have to tell you about it later," she said, struggling not to laugh. "I don't think he'd appreciate overhearing me telling you about that." She nodded her head towards where her lanky friend stood, inspecting Midwinter gifts at another stall.  
  
"How about tonight, over dinner then? That is if you're not too busy?" he tried to keep his voice casual.  
  
"Ummm, sure. I don't think I'm doing anything," she answered lightly.  
  
An awkward silence followed, and to change the topic, he turned towards Neal again. Seeing his cousin turned towards him, he grinned and waved mischievously, but the suspicious glare he received made him cringe.  
  
"If only we could buy him a sense of humour," he sighed.  
  
Brushing her horses had always had a soothing effect on Kel. She half-closed her eyes and relaxed as she repeated the rhythmic motion of brushing Hoshi's rump. In the stall next to Hoshi's, Tobe was brushing Peachblossom.  
  
"Don't fall asleep in there," she heard Dom's voice behind her, "We wouldn't want you to get trampled now, would we?"  
  
Turning around, she saw both Dom and Neal leaning on the door to the stall, Neal on the side closest to Peachblossom. Too late, she issued a warning. "Neal, watch out!"  
  
Peachblossom's head snaked out of his stall and his ears were laid flat to his skull as his teeth clamped shut over Neal's elbow.  
  
Neal yelped shrilly and jumped back as the horse released him. Peach blossom snorted and tossed his head in what could only be a horsy laugh, and Kel could hear Tobe chuckling quietly in the next stall. He had horse magic and had been the one to explain to Kel that her bad-tempered warhorse only bit Neal because of his reaction.  
  
"You need to get a muzzle for that animal!" Neal complained. Peachblossom put his ears back and eyed the hand that was pointed at him. Neal quickly placed himself on the other side of Dom.  
  
Putting away the brush and curry comb, Kel gave the pair her full attention.  
  
"I was just trying to convince Neal to come with us to dinner. I thought we could go to that new restaurant in Corus. He doesn't seem to agree that fresh air and a few hours away from the palace will do him good."  
  
Neal glared at his cousin. "I just... have more important things to do."  
  
"Oh, I already invited Yuki," Kel told him.  
  
He cleared his throat, his face turning pink. "Oh, well, in that case..." he trailed off.  
  
"In that case, how about we all meet there at the sixth bell?" Dom suggested.  
  
Kel and neal agreed and they all went separate ways, Kel staying in the stable while Neal headed to his rooms and Dom to the Own's living quarters.  
  
Finished brushing Hoshi, Kel began helping Tobe clean the tack. She could have let him do it himself, but it helped her relax and gave her time to think, and she had plenty to think about.  
  
It had been almost a month since they had reached Corus. The Midwinter celebrations would commence in a couple of weeks, and shortly after they finished, Roald and Shinkokami were to be married. Meanwhile, the temporary peace treaty signed by Rathhausak had ensured a holiday for the realm's battle weary knights and soldiers.  
  
This had meant more time with Dom, and without the hassles of war pressuring them. But despite the more frequent opportunities to observe him, she hadn't got any signals from her friend that meant he wanted to be any more than just that- a friend- although, to be fair, she hadn't given him any either. Until today. He had seemed so nervous when he asked her to dinner. It hadn't been like him at all, and she had begun to hope... but now it seemed that, since Dom had also invited Neal, the motive had been one of friendship. Realizing this, and feeling foolish for supposing it otherwise, she had quickly lied that she'd already invited Yuki.  
  
"Lady?" the sound of Tobe's voice brought her out of her reverie. "Will you be riding Hoshi tonight?" he enquired.  
  
"I think I'll take Peachblossom, Tobe. He needs the exercise." She thought she detected a strange glint in the boy's eyes, but his face was unreadable. Sighing, she stood up to leave. "There isn't much left to do here. I'll be back in two hours to get Peachblossom." Glancing back briefly at the stable door, she thought she caught a glimpse of Tobe whispering in Peachblossom's ear. With a shrug, she stepped outside and headed quickly for Yuki's rooms in the royal wing.  
  
The loud buzz of conversation in the restaurant dimmed Kel's wits as she gradually lost concentration. Where were Neal and, more importantly, Dom?  
  
"Why are you so fidgety tonight, Kel?" Yukimi noh Daiomoru asked amusedly.  
  
"You haven't been able to keep still since we got here!"  
  
Startled out of her thoughts, Kel blushed, then quickly put on her best Yamani Lump face. Unfortunately, since Yuki had lived in the Yamani Islands all her life and had grown up with Kel, she could read her like an open book.   
  
Yuki snapped her shukusen out to hide her smile, but Kel could see her eyes crinkling with amusement. "You must have a lot on your mind," she hinted subtly.  
  
Kel's eyes widened in alarm. How much did she know or guess of what Kel was thinking? After all, Yuki understood her better than most people.  
  
Taking this reaction as a kind of confirmation, Yuki's eyes crinkled even further until they almost looked like they were closed. This was the Yamani equivalent of rolling on the floor in laughter.  
  
An exclamation on the other side of the room drew her attention as Neal entered the restaurant in a flurry of snow. But it was the tall, handsome, blue-eyed man who followed him that made her heart beat faster and her breath catch in her throat. He looked splendid in a royal blue silk shirt and a black tunic and trousers. His eyes searched the room and when he saw Kel, his mouth widened in a warm smile, which she shyly returned. Remembering Yuki, she turned towards her friend, but the other girl had been watching her fiancée and seemed not to have noticed her lack of composure. Yuki turned back to face Kel, her eyes dancing with more hidden laughter, but she winked when Kel gave her a silently pleading look.  
  
Dom tugged at his tunic nervously as he scanned the crowd for Kel and Yuki, He had dressed thoughtfully, in a full-sleeved blue shirt that accented his eyes. Silver trimming on his tunic accented his broad shoulders and hard waist. When Neal had asked why he was so obviously dressed to impress, he had simply replied that it was none of Sir Meathead's business. Neal had shrugged casually and turned away, but Dom could have sworn there was a glint of mischief in his cousin's eyes.  
  
Neal nudged him towards a far corner in the room. When he saw Kel, his heart leapt and he couldn't help grinning like an idiot. Her return smile made him shiver, and he swept his eyes down to take in her silk gown. It was a rich green that matched her eyes, and an emerald jewel graced each of her ears. Dom gasped in surprise- He had never seen her in a dress before. Luckily only Neal heard it and, aside from giving Dom a wondering glance, he chose not to mention it.  
  
Tearing his eyes away from Kel, Dom nodded at her companion. "Lady Yukimi." She smiled at him, but he had a sneaking suspicion that she was laughing at him rather than acknowledging his greeting.   
  
Neal slid easily into the seat next to Yuki and pecked her on the cheek, making her blush. Wishing he could do the same to Kel, he slid awkwardly into the seat next to her. "Lady Knight, you're a girl after all!" he said in mock surprise. He winced when she kicked him.   
  
"Of course I am, you great buffoon. Or were you too busy paying attention to pretty court ladies to notice?"  
  
"You just don't understand a fellow's interest in females," he murmured, much as he had that day on progress when he'd wanted to borrow her spyglass. But this time he was looking longingly at her, willing her to see how much he felt for her.  
  
Kel stared up at Dom, warmed by the heat flowing from his eyes. It seemed as though they sat like this for hours, staring into each other's eyes, before Neal cleared his throat. Kel looked away quickly, her face flushed, but Dom continued to look at her, feeling as though he could cheerfully throttle his cousin. He hadn't meant for Neal to come to the restaurant in the first place and had been counting on Neal wanting to stay with Yuki, and he had been disappointed to find that Kel had invited her friend. He had long since decide that not only would he have to take things slowly with Kel; he wanted to. But tonight had been almost the first time in a month that she had given any sign that the feelings were mutual, and he wasn't very grateful to his cousin for having ruined the moment.  
  
Unseen by Kel or Dom, Neal and Yuki exchanged a knowing look. 


	3. Chapter 2 part2

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or settings etc, just the storyline. The rest belongs to her supreme majesty Tamora Pierce.

Dinner was an awkward affair. Neal and his fiancée chatted easily, but Kel and Dom barely said another word to each other. Every time their hands accidentally brushed, she flinched and wouldn't meet his eyes. By the end of the meal, Dom was thoroughly frustrated and Neal and Yuki could barely hide their laughter. 

Feeling embarrassed and confused, Kel made the first move to leave. "Lalasa will be wondering where I am. I promised her that she could take my new measurements for Midwinter," she explained.

This statement was followed by a minor argument between Neal and Dom as to who got the privilege of paying for the meal. Settling on half each, Neal gave his half to his cousin to pay the bill, then Kel, Yuki and he headed for a nearby stable where an ostler had been caring for their horses. Kel nodded her thanks and gave the ostler a copper bit.

Although preoccupied, Kel saddled and bridled Peachblossom quickly and efficiently so as to make her escape before Dom caught up. She liked him, and being around him did crazy things to her emotions, but something she had seen in his eyes that night had scared her. It was as though she'd been so caught up in a flood of emotions that she could have drowned in them. **I just need some time to think** she told herself sternly. Caught up in her own thoughts again, Kel didn't notice Neal's approach or see Peachblossom's ears flick back.

"Alright, do you want to tell me what was going on in there?" her lanky friend began.

She could recognise this as the beginning of one of his lectures and decided to use the denial tactic. "When? I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Oh, come on, Kel, you've got to stop torturing him, and yourself for that matter. He likes you; you obviously like him. Where's the problem?"

Kel blushed furiously, but couldn't answer. Peachblossom, sensing his mistress's distress, promptly clamped his teeth on Neal's arm.

"Peachblossom, enough!" Kel finally found her voice. "I'll thank you to stay out of my business, Sir Meathead," she retorted.

Neal laughed out loud. "You sound exactly like him!"

Furiously, she followed him outside, where Yuki was already mounted and ready to go. There was no sign of Dom.

Preparing to mount up, Kel leant against her warhorse. Peachblossom skitted away as though something had frightened him. Twice more she tried and each time, the horse moved away from her.

"Shall we go without you?" Neal asked, obviously wanting time alone with his intended.

"Go ahead, I'll catch up," she muttered, grimly eyeing Peachblossom. She had the distinct impression that her horse was laughing at her. "Now listen, you-" 

"Need any help with that big brute of yours?" Dom asked cheerfully. Kel could have strangled him for his optimism. "I'll hold his head if you like."

Kel watched in horror as Dom's hand got nearer and nearer to Peachblossom's teeth. Amazingly, the unsociable warhorse didn't bite all of his fingers off, but instead patiently allowed Dom to hold his bridle.

It didn't occur to her until both she and Dom had mounted their horses that Tobe might have had something to do with it. **I'll throttle him, I swear by Mithros!** she thought as they rode through the city streets without speaking.

The lack of conversation was becoming painful by the time they reached the main road to the palace. Dom searched desperately for a neutral topic. Remembering their earlier conversation, he turned to Kel. 

"There's something you haven't told me yet," he said, snapping the brittle silence.

"What's that?" she asked tensely.

"You still haven't told me about Neal's poems."

Kel laughed delightedly at this response, and proceeded to tell her companion about all the unreturned crushes on pretty court ladies that Neal had ever had. She also explained about all the pathetic, love struck odes that she, as Neal's best friend, had had to endure.

Between groans and laughter, he felt incredibly relieved and happy and he noticed that she had visibly relaxed. Still he couldn't afford to scare her again. If she was happy to forget the night's events then, for a little while, so was he.

"So, Kel, what does your future hold for you? Tell me about your dreams," he said in mock seriousness.

"Well, it sounds a bit stupid really but…" Kel hesitated.

"Go on! Tell me your plans to take over the throne or take up dressmaking at Lalasa's shop, I won't tell anyone." He suddenly gasped in horror and stared at her wide-eyed. "Unless you intend to be a carpenter?! In that case, give me a warning and I'll be on my horse and galloping away before you can say 'bloody blisters!'"

She gestured rudely in response but couldn't help laughing since she knew how bad she was at woodwork. "Well, I was going to say that I am very happy as I am right now-" Kel's face flushed when she realized what she'd said- "but then I remembered that I have always aspired to be as subtly intelligent and charming as our dear friend Neal."

"As does everyone that knows him, I'm sure."

They looked at each other, then burst out laughing.

"He's lucky he'll have Yuki to keep him in line. She can deal with his sharp tongue and stubbornness."

"What about milord and Buri? Imagine them standing at the altar. She wouldn't even reach his shoulder!"

By this point, Kel's jaw had started to hurt from laughing, but that didn't stop her from laughing even harder. "I am happy for Roald and Shinkokami though," she said more seriously. "They could have ended up hating each other and unable to do anything about it."

A horrible thought suddenly occurred to him and he felt as though his heart had stopped. **Stay calm, your life isn't over yet!** he gave himself a swift peptalk before asking the question that he should have thought of a long time ago.

"How's your overgrown protector-from-flirts Cleon?" Dom tried to curl his mouth in what he hoped was a wry smile.

"He's not"

Dom thought he'd misunderstood at first. "What do you mean?" He held his breath.

She shrugged casually. "Just what I said. He's not _my_ anything. He had to marry a rich heiress to save his fief," she said sadly, feeling sorry for her old friend.

Dom felt his heart sink and kicked himself mentally. **No wonder she's been running away- she's obviously still in love with Cleon. I'm such an oaf!**

"What about you, Sergeant Domitan? Any particular lady brightening up your future?" Kel asked when the silence stretched past comfort.

"Not yet."

"Well describe your ideal lady and I'll send her your way if I ever meet her."

He grinned at her. "Since when do you enjoy playing matchmaker?"

"Since now. Besides, I think I did a pretty good job on Raoul and Buri." She grinned back at him but had to look away since his beautiful, smiling blue eyes were causing her stomach to do somersaults.

For once, Dom answered seriously. "Well, she'd be fairly pretty, very intelligent and nice, all that sort of obvious stuff, but she'd also be a good rider so she could keep up with me, and not afraid to get her hands dirty. She'd be independent enough to take care of herself but willing to let me fuss over her, she'd be fair-minded, compassionate. She'd have a good sense of humour and laugh at my jokes, that's important for my ego-" he winked at her "and she'd have to have low expectations where money is concerned since I'm only a younger son. Oh, and she'd love me enough to die for me, even though I'd never let her."

Kel swooned inwardly. Outwardly she looked at him in amazement. "Do you think she exists?"

The longing look he gave her sent chills down her spine then left her feeling hot and flustered. It was the same look he'd given her at the campfire and in the restaurant just now. It confused her and made her nervous because she didn't know what to do about it. Even Cleon hadn't made her feel like this. "Yes, lady knight, I do."

AN: Sorry it took me so long to post this chapter, hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for all my nice reviews, they were very encouraging. I just thought I'd tell you that I probably won't be able to write another chapter for a while since I'm going to be busy studying again soon. TaTa!


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